Dodging The Bullet

These pictures are all in roughly the same area of our town. And it's no surprise that it has flooded there. We live in the 100 year flood plain. I think these pictures are in the 1 year flood plain. While it is no surprise that the area is under water, it is surprising just how much there is. The river crested *just* under the record. Barely.

These are on the south side of the highway. We live on the north side. While we didn't have any flood waters, we had a whole lot of ground water. With no where to go. The library and middle school parking lots were under water for a couple of days. The highway was shut down for sandbagging to save the businesses on the north side.

The thing is, pretty much all of Western Washington looked like this, or still does, or looks worse. We were fortunate.

We dodged the bullet this year. Thank you, Lord.

Eating Our Way Through Seattle

The weekend after New Year's we decided to go to Seattle on a whim.

Abigail was our official photographer, although, I took some of the pictures, too.

We started at a small bakery near here.

Where they didn't have a public potty.

So I had to walk through the public market.

Which was crowded.

And I hate crowds.

And when I did find it, it was icky.

But we got back and had some GREAT bread and yummy, delicate cookies.

Then we walked through the market.

We went to the place where they throw fish.

My kids were rather amazed.

I have no idea what that nasty looking bugger is, but it was not something we saw flying through the air.

This pig's name is Rosey.

She's a piggy bank that has a bill slot.

They use the money for general market upkeep.

Do you know how I know?

I read it in a Boxcar Children Mystery.

Book #111, The Seattle Puzzle.

Oh, yes I did.

We went to a yummy Italian gellateria.

The kids and Sebastian hed gellato.

It was 37* outside.

I just couldn't have gellato.

Besides, I don't really care for icecream.

I settled for a really good latte and a biscotti.

We went to some other places and ended up in China Town for dinner.

Basically, we ate our way through Seattle.

I'm All Blocked Up

Now, don't go hauling out the Metamucil.  It's blogger block!  Sheesh- get your mind out of the toilet!  To that end, I am borrowing this from my sister's blog.  The things I have done are in red type- since red is my favorite color.

1. Started your own blog 

2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band   I was last chair clarinet in middle school for 2 years before my parents finally admitted that this was one battle they were not going to win, and let me quit 
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity   I've never bounced a check over it- but it has made things kind of uncomfortable at times.
7. Been to Disneyland/world 
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - don't ask, Mom.
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance 
47. Had your portrait painted  Actually, I was drawn in pastel chalks.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma  I'm phobic of needles, remember?
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - oops!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book  I'm writing one now.  Maybe soon.
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible 
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life 
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby - or two, or five
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone 
99. Been stung by a bee  A coulpe of years ago I was pulling my kids in the wagon and a hornet stung me.  It hurt so bad that I sat down on the side walk and cried for a few minutes.  Good thing I'm not allergic!

So, now go read Trish's list and marvel how 2 people who lived together for half of thier lives could be so much the same, and yet so different.

When Mom Gets Sick

Let's not do this again for a while, shall we?

My Brother

Finally has a blog.

Actually, out of all my siblings, he's the last one I expected.

Angie, Chelle, Dad, you're getting left behind.

The rest of you, go welcome him to the neighborhood.

The Illuminati

Are courting my husband!

Seriously.  I open his mail.  I do.  I usually have to take care of it anyway, so it just saves a step.  

Yesterday I opened this official looking envelope and found a 6 page form letter with his name inserted in all the right places.  It was from some "secret society"  who had "reviewed his profile"  and wanted to include he and his "hidden potential" in said society.  The letter said that he could have limitless power over people, money, and romance. Limitless.  

We laughed as he read it and then I got real serious.  I told him that if he wanted to sell his soul to the devil I would be OK with the side perks- as long as I didn't have to go to hell with him....

Of Dirty Socks And Dead Fish.

If you've never read it, go read this to understand how Jonah and I feel about laundry.

Monday is my laundry day.  If I get nothing else done I do 6 to 8 loads in my ginormous washer and dryer set, fold and hang everything, and get it all to the proper room.  Where it becomes the sole responsibility of the owner.  Except for Seb's clothes which I gladly put away for him.

Except sometimes, people are out of socks on Sunday.  All the socks are white.  It's just easier that way.

Sunday night- at bedtime- Caleb announced to me that he had no clean socks.  So, I had to run a load of whites.  Jonah goes to bed later than the other kids because otherwise he keeps them awake.  It's easier all around if we put him to bed a half hour later.  Besides, they lay and read for about 30 minutes anyway.  And he doesn't.  But back to the laundry....

I was standing by the hamper of whites, turning the socks right side out, and then throwing them in front of the washer, and Jonah was loading them into the machine.  Every time he threw a sock into the machine he hollered, "Dead Fish!"

Weird.  Strange.  Deranged child.  I wonder if it had anything to do with having been at Pike Place Market and seeing the fish flying through the air.

Suddenly, he turned to me and said, "Mom, when I'm out of socks and I do the shirts I'm gonna' say 'Dead Whale!'"

Um, OK.